President Margvelashvili on August War Anniversary

Yesterday, the President of Georgia, Giorgi Margvelashvili, hosted a reception at the Presidential Palace for representatives of the government, diplomatic corps, civil sector, and journalists. The reception commemorated the 10th anniversary of the Russia-Georgia War.

Margvelashvili gave a speech highlighting the effects of Russian aggression before, during, and since the 2008 war. He also praised the efforts of the diplomatic corps to maintain the non-recognition policy of the occupied territories of Georgia around the world.

“The aggression against Georgia that began 10 years ago is not over, because Moscow's logic according to which Georgia cannot and should not determine its own fate independently has not changed. The will of the Georgian people to determine their own fate and future has not changed either. The Georgian people have maintained this mentality for centuries and it will continue in the future. We should know that we will be victorious in this fight, as we were victorious in other fights that we won against empires larger than Russia, having fewer friends than we have today,” said Margvelashvili.

The President continued, “This fight to break Georgia’s morale has been going on for ten years. What Russia aims at is simple: they attempt to make us believe that Georgia does not have any other choice than Russia and the Russian Federation is the only guarantor of security in the region. This is a lie! A lie that is shaken by the resilience of the Georgian people. This myth, that Georgia cannot exist without Russia, is destroyed and today we can talk about our success in many directions.”

Following his address, Margvelashvili awarded the Order of Honor to journalists who were killed in the line of duty in the Russian-Georgian War. For their bravery, self-sacrifice, and professional service, posthumous awards were given to Stan Storimans, Giga Chikhladze, and Alexander Klimchuk.

“You should be aware that you won the informational part of the War. It is thanks to your contribution that the world heard about the August War and the Russian aggression against Georgia. Georgian journalists, sacrificing their own lives and health, have managed to broadcast the truth in parallel to cyber-attacks. This is the victory that you have brought to our homeland,” Margvelashvili told journalists.

He also underscored the success of the Georgian armed forces internationally, saying “I returned from the NATO Summit just recently, where I was proudly represented because the Georgian Armed Forces raise the Georgian flag with pride in Afghanistan, Mali, Kosovo, Iraq and other missions.”

He finished his speech with an optimistic refrain, insisting, “Currently, we are a partially occupied country; however, our victory is inevitable because Georgian society will never accept occupation.”

This morning, Margvelashvili visited the Gori Cathedral to attend a service commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Russia-Georgia War. Six metropolitan bishops and Archbishop Andrew led the service.

Following the service, the Metropolitan Bishop of Gori and Ateni presented President Margvelashvili with an icon. Margvelashvili also attended a memorial service for the victims of Russian military aggression, held at the Memorial of Heroes. He laid a wreath at the Memorial to honor the memory of the deceased.